「二度と侵入させない」 ウクライナ軍、北部国境の監視強化

【ホロドニアＡＦＰ＝時事】ウクライナ北部の森の端。雨が降り、雲が低く垂れ込める中、目出し帽をかぶった兵士が、望遠鏡で数キロ先のロシア、ベラルーシとの国境を監視する。（写真はロシア・ベラルーシ国境を監視するウクライナの国境警備兵）
　ウクライナ最北の拠点にはロシアの無人攻撃機も飛んでは来ない。３３歳の兵士は、対戦車ミサイル「ＮＬＡＷ」を誇らしげに見せた。「新たな侵攻を防ぐのが主な任務だ。再びここから侵攻が始まったら、国境で敵を食い止め、これ以上進ませない準備はできている」と語った。名前は明かさなかった。
　近くにはセニキウカの検問所がある。ここで道がＹ字に分かれ、北西に進めばベラルーシに、北東ならロシア、南ならウクライナに続いている。
　ロシア軍の第９０機甲師団は２月２４日、セニキウカ検問所を通ってウクライナに侵攻した。
　４月初旬になるとロシア軍は、北部から軍を引き揚げ、東・南部に集中させた。
　ウクライナ軍はそれ以来、セニキウカの２か国との国境と、後方基地と化していたベラルーシとの全長約９００キロにわたる国境で、厳重な監視を続けている。
　ベラルーシ政府は先月、国境の防衛を理由に、ロシアの兵士最大９０００人と戦車１７０両を国内に配置すると発表した。ベラルーシのアレクサンドル・ルカシェンコ大統領は「平和を求めるなら、戦争に備えなければならない」と述べ、ウクライナがベラルーシへの「攻撃を計画している」と主張した。
　これまでのところ、ベラルーシはウクライナ侵攻に加わってはいない。
　「リンクス」と呼ばれる３０代の国境警備兵は、北部国境からロシア軍が再び攻めてくる可能性は「五分五分」だと思うと、４月のロシア軍撤退後に掘られた頑丈な塹壕（ざんごう）で語った。
　リンクスさんによると、秋口から敵の動きが活発化している。しかし、ウクライナ軍は防衛を強化しており、以前よりも真剣に対応していると指摘。「同じ轍（てつ）を踏まないよう、あらゆるシナリオを検討している」と強調した。
　北部の拠点から南に約３０キロ離れた場所には、侵攻初日にロシア軍に占領された町ホロドニアがある。侵攻前は約２万１０００人が暮らしていた。
　アンドリー・ボフダン町長はＡＦＰに対し、「ほぼ無防備だった」と話した。
「国境警備隊と軍を頼りにしている。彼らは今ここにいて、戦う備えができている」と話した。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2022/11/18-13:07）

Crouching in his hidden lookout on the edge of a forest, a Ukrainian border guard scans the horizon to the border with Russia and Belarus just a few kilometres to the north.
With the rain pouring down and the clouds low, there will be no Russian drones overflying his remote outpost in northern Ukraine, the last one before the frontier.
Clutching a monocular and wearing a balaclava that only shows his eyes, the guard proudly shows off his NLAW anti-tank missile launcher.
Our main objective is to prevent a (new) invasion. But if that happens again here, we'll be ready to stop the enemy at the border and prevent them from coming in, says the 33-year-old who does not give his name.
The Senkivka border crossing is very close. A three-way crossing shaped like a 'Y', it points northwest into Belarus and northeast into Russia with Ukraine to the south.
This is where Russia's 90th armoured division swept in when the war started on February 24, cutting through Ukrainian territory like a knife through butter.
From there, the Russian army reached the gates of Chernigiv, capital of the eponymous region, some 90 kilometres (55 miles) to the south.
But they were never able to take the city, repelled by fierce Ukrainian resistance although it was regularly bombed.
In early April, the Russians pulled back from the north only to refocus on the campaign in eastern and southern Ukraine.
- 'Growing threat' -
Since then, Ukraine has been watching Senkivka like a hawk as well as its nearly 900 kilometres of border with Belarus, whose territory served as a rear base for Moscow's forces.
On October 20, Ukraine's military said the threat of a renewed offensive from the north was growing, flagging intensified aggressive rhetoric from its northern neighbours who are close allies.
Several days earlier, Minsk said up to 9,000 Russian soldiers and some 170 tanks would be deployed to Belarus as part of a joint task force to secure its borders.
If you want peace, you need to prepare for war, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said on October 10, accusing Ukraine of planning strikes on his country.
Until now, Minsk has not joined the fighting in Ukraine.
Inside the well-fortified dugout that was set up after the Russian pullback in April, a border guard in his 30s who goes by the nickname Lynx says he thinks there's a 50-50 chance of a new Russian offensive.
The likelihood of an attack will always be high here near the border, with a neighbour like that, he says, a machinegun slung over his shoulder.
You hear the constant sound of (Russian) artillery fire here... sometimes it's calm, but since autumn began, the enemy has become more active, he says.
But now there are more (Ukrainian) positions and more fortifications, everything is more serious now... we have thought through all the possible options to avoid a repeat of what happened before, he insists.
- 'Friendly nations' -
Some 30 kilometres to the south lies Gorodnia, the first town occupied by the Russians on the first morning of the invasion.
Mayor Andriy Bogdan told AFP he was hoping the events of February 24 won't be repeated even if such a threat does exist, pointing to the Russian troops in Belarus.
But now, the situation is completely different from what it was back then, when his town -- which had 21,000 residents before the war -- was almost completely unprotected.
We are relying on our border guards and all our defence forces. Today they are here and ready to fight, Bogdan says.
When the Russians turned up, the residents made a peaceful show of resistance, he says, proudly showing a video of locals with Ukrainian flags standing in front of the armoured vehicles to stop them advancing.
In the end, the Russians remained outside the town when they occupied the area.
Grocery shop owner Svetlana, a woman in her 50s, dismisses the idea that Belarus could attack us.
We live by the border, we are friendly nations. I have a brother in Belarus and a sister in Moscow, she told AFP.
At the start, even my sister couldn't believe it had happened. But they understand and they support us, she said.
I want it to be over as soon as possible.